Socio-Economic Determinants Of Productivity And Income Of Rice Farmers In Udenu Local Government Areas, Enugu State, Nigeria

The study sought to verify the major socio-economic determinants of farm income and rice productivity among rice farmers in the study area. A multi-stage stratified random sampling was used to select the respondents. Two major blocks of agricultural communities were delineated in the study area constituting of twelve (12) communities. Out of these, four (4) communities were randomly selected. Fifteen (15) rice farmers were then selected from each of them giving a sample size of sixty. Primary and secondary data were employed for this research. The primarydata were collected using structured questionnaires. Multiple regression models with three functional forms were used to determine the production and income functions. Results showed that the influence of land and years of education on the farmers’ rice output were statistically significant at 5% level. Test for multicollinearity ruled out interaction between years of formal education and extension contact. Generally, it was proved that education and other socioeconomic factors had significant effect on rice farmers’ output as well as their incomes. Extension contact had no significant effect on the rice farmers’ output in the study area. However, only two explanatory variables, labour and farming experience showed significant effects on farmers’ incomes indicating high labour intensity among the farmers. Four recommendations, including the need for adult education plus improvement of the subsidy delivery system and mechanization; retraining of extension staff and development of ruralinfrastructure were made

Deregulation and Macroeconomic Drivers Of Foreign Direct Investment In Nigerian Agriculture (1970 -2009): An Econometric Analysis

This study used secondary data from Central Bank of Nigeria and National Bureau of Statistics to ascertain the determinants of Foreign Direct Agricultural Investment (FDAI) in Nigeria from 1970 to 2009. After attempting modeling the determinants of FDAI with untransformed OLS regression model, autocorrelation was detected, hence Praise-Winston model was applied. The series' residuals were subjected to appropriate econometric tests and met the major requirements for running OLS models in addition to being cointegrated at I(0) using ADF and Philip Perron indicators. The model's fitness test indicated an R2 of 60% with an F-statistic significant at p<0.01. The study showed that foreign exchange and the economic deregulation policy of Nigerian government which started in 1986 were the most significant macro-economic drivers of FDAI in Nigerian economy over the review period. The findings call for improved management of the foreign exchange regimes by the Central Bank of Nigeria; tightening of fiscal discipline through increased transparency and removal of other structural impediments against the successful implementation of the economic reforms by the government (especially poor power supply among others).Key Words: Foreign direct investment, agriculture, deregulation of Nigerian economy and economic growth

Brucellosis as an Emerging Threat in Developing Economies:Lessons from Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, has a large proportion of the world's poor livestock keepers, and is a hotspot for neglected zoonoses. A review of the 127 accessible publications on brucellosis in Nigeria reveals only scant and fragmented evidence on its spatial and temporal distribution in different epidemiological contexts. The few bacteriological studies conducted demonstrate the existence of Brucella abortus in cattle and sheep, but evidence for B. melitensis in small ruminants is dated and unclear. The bulk of the evidence consists of seroprevalence studies, but test standardization and validation are not always adequately described, and misinterpretations exist with regard to sensitivity and/or specificity and ability to identify the infecting Brucella species. Despite this, early studies suggest that although brucellosis was endemic in extensive nomadic systems, seroprevalence was low, and brucellosis was not perceived as a real burden; recent studies, however, may reflect a changing trend. Concerning human brucellosis, no studies have identified the Brucella species and most reports provide only serological evidence of contact with Brucella in the classical risk groups; some suggest brucellosis misdiagnoses as malaria or other febrile conditions. The investigation of a severe outbreak that occurred in the late 1970s describes the emergence of animal and human disease caused by the settling of previously nomadic populations during the Sahelian drought. There appears to be an increasing risk of re-emergence of brucellosis in sub-Saharan Africa, as a result of the co-existence of pastoralist movements and the increase of intensive management resulting from growing urbanization and food demand. Highly contagious zoonoses like brucellosis pose a threat with far-reaching social and political consequences

The Physiological Changes Associated with Coccidia Infected Rabbits Treated with Extract of Momordica Balsamina Fruit Bark

An extract of Momordica balsamina fruit bark used in plateau State, Nigeria by local poultry farmers for the enhancement of general conditions of birds was studied to verify local claims that the fruit bark is effective as anticoccidial agent in rabbits. Adult rabbits weighing between 1.2 - 1.5 kg were grouped 1 – 4, challenged with Eimeria stiedae oocysts and treated 7 days post challenge with 400 mg/kg body weight with the extract. Fecal oocysts counts, body weight and temperature were determined over a period of twenty days post manifestation of characteristic clinical signs and extract treatment. The decrease in the oocysts load in the treated groups (3 and 4), compared to the infected and untreated group 2 was statistically significant (p<0.05) by chi square analysis. Phytochemical analysis reveals highest concentration of resin and moderate presence of alkaloids, glycosides and flavinoids in the extract. The gross pathology of dead rabbits showed congested hepatomegaly, with circumscribed grayish diffused lesions, while surviving rabbits showed apparently normal liver post extract treatment. The rabbits regained body weights gradually, while the temperature remained normal with absence of oocyst in the feces. In conclusion, this finding shows that the extract enhances the clearing of oocysts with some potential anti-coccidial effect

Socio-economic analysis of cassava-based cropping system in Rivers State, Nigeria.

An analysis of the Socio-economic factors influencing the value of the outputs of the cassava mixture farming in Rivers State was carried out. Thirty – six farmers were randomly selected from each stratum of the five major cassava crop mixtures, making a total sample size of180 farmers studied. The cassava crop mixtures studied are cassava/maize, cassava/melon, cassava/yam, cassava/maize/melon and cassava/maize/yam. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression models. Results of Tvalues showed that farming experience (3.739), education level of farmers (7.2.3), household size (7.459) and extension workers’ visits (1.661) were socio-economic variables which positively and significantly influenced the output of cassava growing farmers. Farming age (-0.433) was inversely related to output. Improvement in the extension services, more capacity building of the farmers, credit incentives and skill acquisition would go a long way to increasing the level of cassava farming output in the area.Key words: Cassava, cropping system, socio-economic analysi

Socio-economic analysis of cassava-based cropping system in Rivers State, Nigeria.

An analysis of the Socio-economic factors influencing the value of the outputs of the cassava mixture farming in Rivers State was carried out. Thirty – six farmers were randomly selected from each stratum of the five majorcassava crop mixtures, making a total sample size of180 farmers studied. The cassava crop mixtures studied are cassava/maize, cassava/melon, cassava/yam, cassava/maize/melon and cassava/maize/yam. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression models. Results of T-values showed that farming experience (3.739), education level of farmers (7.2.3), household size (7.459) and extension workers’ visits (1.661) were socio-economic variables which positively and significantly influenced the output of cassava growing farmers. Farming age (-0.433) was inversely related to output. Improvement in the extension services, more capacity building of the farmers, credit incentives and skill acquisition would go a long wayto increasing the level of cassava farming output in the area

Loan Performance Of Development Banks And Their Impact On Farmers’ Income: A Case Study Of Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative And Rural Development Bank, Kogi State

Development banks were set up and restructured over the years in Nigeria by various governments to enhance self reliance and improve incomes of rural and urban farmers in Nigeria with huge sums of money. This paper investigated the extent to which one of such banks, NACRDB, had impacted on farmers’ income level in Kogi State. Primary data usedfor the study were collected from the branches of the bank in the state using a questionnaire. A multi-stage random sampling was used for the study. The sample constituted of 72 beneficiaries of NACRDB loans scheme. First, three (3) banks were randomly selected from the six (6) of the bank’s branches in the state. Then, 24 loanees were randomly selected from each of the three branches out of a population of 156 beneficiaries from 2001 – 2003. ANOVA and Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis were used to analyze the data obtained from the respondents. Two null hypotheses were tested to achieve the majorobjective of the study. The results of the study indicated a positive relationship between loan disbursement and farm income. The study also indicated that loan repayment rate increased in an inverse proportion to volumes of loan disbursed to the farmers. The recommendationsmade included the need for more credit supply by the government and credit donors; more branching of the bank; disbursement of loans to farmers in groups to avoid defaults in large volume loans; and the need for the Federal government to increase funding of the bank

Comparative studies and microbial risk assessment of different Ready-to-Eat (RTE) frozen sea-foods processed in Ijora-olopa, Lagos State, Nigeria

This study reports the comparative studies and microbial risk assessment of different frozen seasfoods processed in Ijora-olopa, Lagos State, Nigeria. Different varieties of popularly consumed frozensea-foods bought from different processing shops in Ijora-olopa, Lagos were microbiologically analyzed for the presence of microorganisms. Total plate counts, enterobacteriaceae counts and Salmonella-Shigella (SS) counts were enumerated using Plate Count Agar (PCA), Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) Agar and Salmonella-Shigella Agar (SSA), respectively. The total counts for all the processed frozen seafood products ranged between 1.08 x 102 to 2.86 x 104 CFU/ml. These were generally high exceeding the limit of 1.0 x 102 CFU/ml. The coliform count ranged between 0.76 x 102 and 1.36 x 104cells. The Salmonella-Shigella (SS) count ranged between 0.26 x 102 and 0.96 x 104 cells. Seventeen (17) isolates were characterized from the samples on PCA with percentage of occurrence of differentmicroorganisms characterized as follows: Bacillus cereus (29.4%), Enterobacter aerogenes (29.4%), Salmonella sp. (17.6%), Flavobacterium sp. (11.8%), Micrococcus sp. (5.9%), and Staphylococcus auerus (5.9%). Consumption of some of this water and the seafood product processed with these water samples available in the market should be discouraged